The Daily Blog – Season 1

12th September 201713th October 2017

1.68 – Why is mayonnaise cake so delicious?

Yes that’s right. Mayonnaise cake. I’ve had chocolate mayonnaise cake several times now and do not hesitate to give it the official Dan stamp of quality. And don’t be fooled; it is probably not what you are imagining.

We must begin by asking ourselves, what is mayonnaise actually made of? Fundamentally, it’s oil and egg. Now let’s think what ingredients one would typically use to make a cake. Flour, butter, eggs, and sugar all spring to mind. So by using mayonnaise to make a cake, you are simply using oil instead of butter (many chocolate cake recipes prefer to use oil anyway) and eggs that are already beaten. You see? Not so nasty after all.

In fact, mayonnaise actually results in a more moist cake and often richer flavour. I’ve heard rumours that this recipe first came about during WW2 when oil and eggs were harder to get a hold of. Some clever clogs realised that mayonnaise would do the job just as well, if not better.

So go and bake your own mayonnaise cake today, and ask guests if they can guess the secret ingredient. Just make sure you avoid mayo made with mustard or that delightful chilli mayo that some supermarkets have. Or maybe don’t… chilli chocolate was very popular a couple of years ago!